General Schedule Pay Scale

Over 70 percent of the Federal workforce is paid according to the General Pay Scale. The scale can be difficult to understand for both new and even experienced Federal employees. This article attempts to clarify exactly how government wages are distributed to government employees.

Each Federal job is given a specific rating from one to fifteen depending on the amount of education and experience required for each position. While there is no specific correspondence between the GS rate and each position’s educational requirements, Bachelor’s degrees are usually required for GS-5 positions, and Master’s degrees for GS-9. Base salary ranges for each grade are provided below, but increase based on location. For instance a GS-7 position pays $36,783 in Atlanta, while the same position pays $41,367 in San Francisco because of the difference in cost of living.

The nearly 30 percent of the Federal workforce not covered under the General Scale are either paid hourly (10 percent), or operate under the separate systems of the U.S. Postal Service, the Foreign Service, the Veterans Health Administration, and Senior Executives.

GS-2

GS-3

General Schedule Pay Scale Guide
Need help understanding the General Schedule Pay Scale? Follow these chapters to understand why the system is in place, how 'the Man' determines your salary, and how you can make more money in your government job.

GS-14

GS-15

General Schedule Pay Scale Guide
Need help understanding the General Schedule Pay Scale? Follow these chapters to understand why the system is in place, how 'the Man' determines your salary, and how you can make more money in your government job.